The image of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL) in the post-communist era has been profoundly shaped by monoperspectival national historiographical traditions. Their grand narratives have resulted in the “division” of the GDL’s history, culture, and heritage – aptly described as the “shards of a shattered mirror.” Seeking to overcome this “shard” effect, the present volume aims to reveal the cultural diversity of the GDL by exploring both heterogeneous and homogeneous cultural forms, while also drawing on the theory of lieux de mémoire (sites of memory). This collection of articles was prepared in the framework of the research project “The Tradition, Image, and Modern Identities of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.” It also includes several papers based on presentations delivered at the international conference “Phenomena of History and Tradition of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Places of Nations Memory” held at Vilnius University on 15–16 November 2012. The volume contains thirteen articles and two conference reports, organized into five sections. It also publishes a list of proposed concepts of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s phenomena as “sites of memory” of nations.
Edited by Alfredas Bumblauskas, Grigorijus Potašenko
